Drug consumers in Europe face new health risks. The cause is both the rapid evolution and the growing complexity of drug markets. This is warned by the European Drugs Agency (EUDA) in its European Drug Report 2026: Trends and Evolution, which has just been published and can be consulted in full at this link. The document is based on data collected in the 27 EU Member States, Norway, and Turkey.
The report indicates that the wide availability of an increasingly diverse range of substances - many of them with high levels of potency or purity - poses significant public health challenges: among the main concerns are the constant emergence of new psychoactive substances, the increase in highly potent synthetic opioids, the expansion of stimulant use, and the simultaneous use of multiple drugs, a practice that significantly increases risks for consumers.
According to the report, during 2025, 50 new psychoactive substances were detected for the first time in Europe, bringing the total number of compounds registered by the European agency to 1,050. Among these, new synthetic opioids capable of causing potentially fatal intoxications stand out.
EUDA also warns about the emerging role of electronic cigarettes as a vehicle for the consumption of substances other than nicotine. In several European countries, vapes containing synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids have been seized, raising concerns about their possible use to distribute other dangerous drugs, including some synthetic opioids.
Impact on security and adaptation of organized crime
Beyond health consequences, the report highlights the impact that illicit drug markets continue to have on European security. Violence associated with drug trafficking, intimidation, and the recruitment of vulnerable young people by criminal organizations remain worrying phenomena.
Furthermore, trafficking networks are rapidly modifying their strategies to evade police controls. Following increased surveillance in major European ports, traffickers are increasingly resorting to secondary ports, speedboats, semi-submersibles, drones, and sophisticated concealment methods to introduce substances into the continent.
Cannabis Diversifies and Increases Potency
Cannabis continues to be the most consumed illegal drug in Europe: it is estimated that almost 25 million Europeans between 15 and 64 years of age consumed it during the last year.
The European agency highlights that supply routes are changing. Increasing quantities of cannabis are arriving from Canada and the United States, driven by production surpluses and strong competition in the North American market. In 2025 alone, around 21 tons of cannabis were intercepted at the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, mainly of Canadian origin.
The growing availability of more potent products, extracts, edibles, and semi-synthetic cannabinoids is of particular concern to health authorities. Cannabis currently accounts for one-third of people accessing treatment for drug addiction in Europe, with more than 104,000 patients treated in 2024.
In parallel, several European countries continue to review their policies on this substance. Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic have advanced models that allow for certain regulated recreational uses or limited self-cultivation.
Synthetic Opioids Increase Health Concerns
Opioids continue to be the leading cause of overdose deaths in Europe. The EUDA estimates that at least 7,600 people died from this cause in the European Union during 2024, in most cases after consuming multiple substances simultaneously.
New synthetic opioids, such as nitazenes and orphines, are of particular concern due to their high potency and elevated capacity to cause lethal intoxications. Since 2009, 95 new compounds of this type have been identified, seven of them reported for the first time in 2025.
Furthermore, authorities have detected an increase in counterfeit medicines containing these compounds, but presented as legitimate drugs, such as oxycodone or diazepam. During 2024, more than 50,000 tablets containing nitacenes were seized in ten European countries.
EUDA also calls for continued vigilance regarding fentanyl, after more than a hundred deaths related to this substance were recorded in Bulgaria between 2024 and 2025.
Despite the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan since 2022, the European heroin market continues to show a remarkable capacity for adaptation thanks to accumulated reserves and the partial displacement of production to countries such as Pakistan and Myanmar.
Cocaine expands its presence in Europe
Cocaine use remains high. According to the report, some 4.3 million European adults used this drug in the past year.
Wastewater analyses carried out in European cities show an upward trend: of the 85 cities with comparable data between 2024 and 2025, 48 registered increases in detected cocaine residues.
The number of people seeking treatment for problems related to this substance is also increasing: in 2024, some 74,000 people started specialized treatment for cocaine use, of whom 37,000 were first-time attendees.
The spread of crack adds a new source of concern. Its use appears to be growing in several European cities, particularly among vulnerable and socially marginalized groups. More than 11,000 people started treatment for problems related to this drug during 2024.
Although cocaine seizures fell to 330 tonnes in 2024 compared to 419 the previous year, the number of operations increased, suggesting that traffickers are opting for smaller, fragmented shipments to avoid detection.
Ketamine gains presence outside the medical field
Another phenomenon that concerns experts is the increase in the recreational use of ketamine, an essential medicine commonly used as an anesthetic and analgesic.
Although its general use remains relatively low, it is increasingly common in certain youth and nightlife settings. Associated risks include acute intoxications and serious chronic damage.
The number of people seeking specialized treatment for ketamine-related problems has quadrupled in Europe over the last five years, from 413 cases in 2019 to 1,796 in 2024.
A large part of this substance seized on the European illicit market comes from legal pharmaceutical channels, mainly from India, from where it is legally imported before being diverted into illegal circuits.
Strengthening prevention
Faced with this scenario, the European Commission and the European Union Agency for Drugs insist on the need to strengthen prevention, treatment, harm reduction programs, and social reintegration.
Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Interior and Migration, recalled that the latest figures record at least 7,600 overdose deaths per year in the European Union and defended the need to intensify both the prosecution of illicit trafficking and the early detection of new substances.
For her part, Lorraine Nolan - Executive Director of EUDA - highlighted that drug markets are increasingly unpredictable and that many people consume high-potency substances without being fully aware of it. For this reason, she stressed the importance of having solid scientific information that allows for the design of effective responses from public health and the protection of citizens' rights.
The report concludes that Europe will have to strengthen its surveillance and preparedness systems to face an increasingly dynamic phenomenon, marked by the constant emergence of new substances and the growing sophistication of criminal networks dedicated to drug trafficking.